Embracing My Inner Alien
— Kevin Schaefer

In every popular sitcom, there’s always a central setting for the characters to congregate. For some it’s a workplace, such as the Dunder Mifflin branch in “The Office” or the government building in “Parks and Recreation.” Other shows feature a shared living space, such as the geek-decorated apartment in “The…

When I was a kid, I spent many mornings and afternoons sitting on a padded blue bench with a table in front of me. I spent this time playing with my action figures, drawing, and immersing myself in Saturday morning cartoons. Kids, there was a time before streaming services when…

Late August marks the start of a new school year, which still affects me even as a 29-year-old working adult. Though I graduated from college in 2016, my niece is starting first grade, my older nephew starts preschool in a few weeks, and both of my younger nephews are back…

“Hey, buddy, don’t get a speeding ticket!” “When was his last X-ray?” “Oh, wow, you work!” For whatever reason, society loves to infantilize disabled people. It’s practically a hobby for some people, be they medical professionals or middle-aged pedestrians looking to test their comedy skills when they see a wheelchair…

At the latest pop culture convention I attended, I waited in line for 45 minutes on a Saturday morning with a host of like-minded geeks. But the line wasn’t to meet my favorite celebrity, voice actor, or comic book creator. It was just to get on the elevator. Having gone…

On the last day of the annual Cure SMA conference, the closing session is always a panel called “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It features a group of adults with SMA talking about their daily lives and answering audience questions. Its core theme is that there are plenty of…

My 6-year-old niece, Lily, made an astute observation while we were waiting in line at Disney World to get a picture with Daisy Duck. “Is that a person in a costume?” In a place designed to capture the imaginations of children, leave it to Lily to break the spell with…

As a kid, I organized my hundreds of action figures in buckets. I kept them displayed on a wooden shelf next to my bed, and I knew the exact location of each figure and accessory. Anytime the figures were out of my reach, I relied on the patience of…

People-watching is one of my favorite things to do at Disney World. It’s a free and accessible activity, and it comes with more surprises than any of the hundreds of rides at the parks. Whereas “It’s a Small World” gets repetitive after a while, observing the public pitfalls of…

The 2002 science-fiction film “Minority Report” imagines a world in which a specialized police unit uses psychic technology to detect crimes before they happen. Tom Cruise plays a detective who’s part of the “Precrime” division, and it’s his job to arrest would-be murderers and criminals. Based on the…

Actor Ethan Hawke has a TED Talk titled “Give yourself permission to be creative.” In it, he speaks not just to professional and aspiring artists, but to every person’s need for human expression. He talks about how creativity exists in things like leadership, and how embracing our creative…

When I was in middle school, I became acquainted with Ponyboy, Sodapop, Johnny Cade, and the other “Greaser” boys from the pages of “The Outsiders.” Since its publication in 1967, S.E. Hinton’s seminal novel has continued to resonate with generations of teenagers and young adults from all walks…